Honors Theses
The Honors Program is rooted in the Catholic Marianist tradition, encouraging social responsibility and ethical sensitivity with its many leadership and service opportunities.
Honors theses are as diverse and ambitious as creating solar-powered, easy-to-use equipment to sterilize medical devices; writing a novel or series of short stories; pursuing neuroscience research to better understand Alzheimer's disease; and publishing a book based on branding elements designed specifically for several organizations.
For theses dated prior to 2014, contact the University Archives and Special Collections at archives@udayton.edu.
Submissions from 2022
Narratives of the Black Mother in the U.S.: Exploring the Black Maternalist Framework in Black Activism, Anna Biesecker-Mast
A Starling in a Pear Tree: Assessing the Influence of Bird Dispersal on Callery Pear (Pyrus calleryana), Olivia Clark
Investigating the Relationship between Identity Salience and Attitudes of Groups, Grazia DiPierro
Social Media Usage during COVID-19: Friend or Foe?, Claudia Dominique
"You Can Disagree Without Being Disagreeable": A Rhetorical Study of Tweets about Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Amy Coney Barrett, Lauren Durham
Pro-Understanding: Understanding the Pro-Choice Catholic, Natalie Eilerman
Elastomer O-Ring Seal Swell Measurements for Sustainable Aviation Fuel Material Compatibility, Conor J. Faulhaber
Tracing Stigma: The Evolution of the Tattoo in the Middle Ages, Isabella Fusillo
The Best Four Years of Your Life, Julia Gallenstein
A Comparison of Music Therapy Apporaches Utilized with Persons Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Sally M. Gibson
Labor Trends in Nuclear Energy and Developmental Obstacles in Nuclear Energy, Ryan D. Greensfelder
Water Soluble Luminescent Dye as a Potential Photodynamic Therapy Agent, Cate Hawkins
Microwave-Assisted Synthesis of Quinoxaline Derivatives, Eric Horsting
College Students’ Opinions on Climate Change: Do Political Views Matter?, Aileen Hull
Investigating the Pleiotropic Potential of Known Genetic Switches that Regulate Gene Expression, Katherine A. Kohnen
Effects of Systemic Hypoxia on Motor Control Performance and Brain Blood Flow in Healthy, Young Humans, Paige M. Kompa
The Jewish Organizations Fighting Fascism in the United States, Maya Leibold
TikTok and the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit People Movement, Meghan Leinhauser
Exploring Risk Factors for Maternal Mortality: A Qualitative Study, Grace Lowe
Development of Melamine Derivatives as Flame Retardants for Thermoplastic and Thermoset Polymers, Ryan Maguire
Boron Dipyrromethene Dyes Covalently Bound to Bovine Serum Albumin: A Simplified Route to Fluorescent Dye-Protein Conjugates, Elizabeth Mancz
The Impact of Anaerobic Exposure and Propionate on the Kinetics and Pathogenesis of Listeria monocytogenes, Mackenzie T. Martin
Establishing a Drosophila Colon Cancer Model to Study Interactions and Therapeutic Targets of Oncogenic Pathways, Kathleen T. McCaslin
Behold Your Mother: Wives and Mothers as Partners in Christ's Priestly Mission, Jordan McCormick
Healthy Eating, Unhealthy Mind: Measuring the Rate of a Disordered Eating Pattern among University Student Athletes and Non-Athletes, Erika Moeller
Music Therapy in Adult Medical Settings: Recommendations and Advocacy for Sustainable Programs, Margaret Moore
Ain't No Sunshine When They're Gone: Pollinators in a Solar Prarie, Brigid M. Morgan
Towards a "Pedagogy of Beauty": The New Evangelization, English Education, and Renewal of the Catholic School, Elena Niese
Job Diversity and Its Impact on Intergenerational Mobility at the County Level, Derek Olson
Vascular Function and Sugar Sweetened Beverage Consumption in Hispanic and Non-Hispanic Males, Eleni Papastratakos
Anxious Attachment as a Mediator between Parental Abuse in Childhood and Partner Attributions in Adulthood, Naomi Michele Pearson
Evaluation of Patellar Tendon Load across Sports-Related Activities, Breven Perry
The Hidden History of Puerto Rico's First War: The Taíno Rebellion According to Juan González, Sebastian M. Quinones
Understanding the Hydrolytic Activity of Papiliotrema laurentii on Polyester Polyurethane Coatings, Ariana L. Santos
Dayton is Burning: A Survey of Drag History and Performance in Southwest and Central Ohio, Katie Schreyer
Investigating the Role of the Nervous System in Limb Regeneration: A Proteomics Analysis, Jason Tornes
The Effects of Parental Incarceration on Children: A Parent’s Perspective, Callie R. Tubbs
Submissions from 2021
Investigating the Effects of a p53 Mutation and Various Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors on Glioma Progression and Therapy Resistance in Drosophila, Kaitlyn M. Alleman
Determine the Effects of Propionate on the Activation of Macrophages against the Intracellular Pathogen Listeria monocytogenes, Leah O. Allen
Don’t Stress, Easier Said Than Done: Relationship Between Perceived Stress, Coping Styles, and Self-Leadership, Jacob Avendano
From Prop to Partner: The Evolution of Female Roles in American Opera, Mariah J. Berryman
Inferior Longitudinal Fasciculus Predicts Later Neurodevelopment in Infants Born with Extremely Low Birth Weight, Matthew C. Bugada
The Author’s Words and the Editor’s Pen, A Self-Study in Editorial Decision Making, Margaret M. Cahill
Propeller and Propeller-In-Wing Thrust Vectoring, Grace G. Culpepper
Impact of Sympathetic Nervous System Activation on Motor Control, Kiersten M. Duffy
Impact of a Dialogic Reading Intervention on the Effectiveness of Adaptive Magnitude Comparison eBooks for Improving Young Children’s Magnitude Comparison Skills, Patrick C. Ehrman
Viability of Postconsumer Thermoplastics in Consumer Grade Additive Manufacturing, Peter A. Fabe
On Sex Differences in the Antidepressant Effects of Ketamine: Clinical and Preclinical Evidence, Patrick R. Flaherty
The Effects of Helicopter Parenting in Emerging Adulthood: An Investigation of the Roles of Involvement and Perceived Intrusiveness, Abigail T. Flower
The Sanctuary in Polish Hill, Annabelle M. Harsch
Leaf Phenology and Freeze Tolerance of the Invasive Tree Pyrus calleryana (Rosaceae) and Potential Native Competitors, Abby E. Hay
Using Gene Expression Comparisons to Reveal the Role of Transcription Factors in the Development and Evolution of a Fruit Fly Trait, Rachel A. Johnson
Determine the Effects of Propionate on the Interactions between Macrophages and Listeria monocytogenes, Stephanie M. Johnson
Development of a Computational Framework for Estimating Knee Joint Contact Forces in Running, Sean W. Kapp
Comparison of Protein Expression Profiles from Fungi during the Degradation of Polysuccinate Polyurethane Coatings, Abigail L. Kelly
No Room for Racism: A Critical Analysis on Corporate Social Responsibility and Racial Justice Advocacy in the English Premier League, Nicholas A. Kerver
An Examination of the Themes of Invisibility and Hypervisibility in Black Women’s Experiences within the Prison System, Sarah N. Kuhns
The Relationship between Classroom Variables and Academic Achievement across the Preschool Year, Olivia M. LeBlanc
The Cantor Set, Trees, and Compact Metric Spaces, Wyatt N. Lee
The Expanding Role of Analytics in Operations, Lauren E. Luechtefeld
Construction of a Man Nationalism, Identity, Vercingetorix and the Gauls, Martin B. McKew
Making Culture-Centered Music Therapists: Resources for Working with Latinx Young Adults, Michaela A. Miller
Development of Nucleic Acid Aptamers to Inhibit Bacterial Efflux Pumps, Emilie A. Moses
The Solubilizing of Recombinant Influenza Polymerase Acidic Protein, Quinn D. Murray
Hedge Fund Performance with the Treynor-Black Model, Gurkamal S. Pannu
The Genetic Interaction between the Axial Patterning Gene dve and Dpp Signaling in the Developing Drosophila Eye, Katherine M. Perry
An Exploration of the Widely Observed Mechanisms Permitting Freeze Tolerance & the Potential of Cope’s Gray Treefrog, Dryophytes chrysoscelis, Samuel A. Ripley
A Study on Formal Verification for JavaScript Software, Zachary S. Rowland
Why Searle's Objection to Twin Earth is Problematic, Paul F. Scheeler
Analysis of the Evolutaion of Scope Management and Needs Identification in Agile Methodologies, Nolan B. Scott
Investigating the Role of Microtubule Binding Protein, NAT9, in the Drosophila Eye Model of Alzheimer’s Disease, Emily E. Snider
The Multi-Sensory Design of a Synesthete's Everyday Experience, Madeline M. Spicer
Sustainable Stories: Linking Graphic Design and the Environment to Inform, Educate, and Inspire, Shannon M. Stanforth
Dialectical Reasoning and Developing Responsive Models Toward Political Ecology, Dawson J. Vandervort
The Communal Integration of Nutrition-Related Cultural Assets of the Latinx Population in the Greater Dayton Area, Hannah G. Waters
Isolating and Manipulating Microorganisms using Ureolysis for Creating Extraterrestrial Microbial Biotechnology Systems, Nina M. Wendel
Submissions from 2020
The Role of Follower Characteristics in Ratings of Leadership Style: A Meta-Analytic Review, Reda Aldahan
A Language of Silence: Analyzing the Effects of Sexist Language on Women’s Classroom Experiences, Emily Battaglia
Metal Layer Architectures for 2D TMD Heterostructures, Anna K. Benton
Understanding Chemolithotrophic Reduction Mechanisms from the Dark Marine Biosphere, Anna Gwendolyn Blair
Capes and Catechesis: The Use of Comic Books to Catechize Catholic Youths, Lindsey Bronder
Machine Learning for Cyberattack Detection, Kayla Chisholm
Industry 4.0 in the Retail Sector: Sustainability of Food Retail with a Focus on Food Insecurity in Dayton, OH, Katrina Alexis Coleman
Inhibition of Bacterial Efflux Pumps Via Plant Derived Compounds, Ethan James Dawson
The Development of a SCFA Analysis Method and the Examination of Factors Affecting Listeria Pathogenesis, Ashton Dix
Liquid-Liquid Equilibria Studies of Potential Organic Solvents as Ethanol Extractants from Aqueous Solutions, Grace Docken
Compost Amendments on Urban Soils vs. Water Retention, Anna Louise Drew
The Eastern Europe Britain Wanted: Serbian Independence as recorded in British Newspapers, 1867, Sarah H. Eyer
Investigating the Role of the ETC in Listeria monocytogenes during Ethanol Exposure, Amanda Fawcett
Direct and Indirect Effects of Additional Sodium on Grasshopper Growth and Development, Mark Ghastine
The Effects of Technology on Student Interest in STEAM Education, Paige Elizabeth Innes
Finding the switches that activate animal genes through a combined in silico and in vivo approach, Chad M. Jaenke
Design of an Enhanced Cellular Model for the Assessment and Tracking of Nanomaterials, Maggie Jewett
Combating Antibiotic Resistance Using Plant-Derived Compounds, Emily Jones
